“Mother, what brings you here?” the Empress frowned as she watched the Empress Dowager forcefully enter with her entourage.

The Empress Dowager glared viciously at the Empress and demanded sharply, “Where is the Tenth Prince?”

The Empress gazed at the Empress Dowager impassively and asked coolly, “The Tenth Prince? Why does Mother ask?”

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, “The Tenth Prince is about to ascend the throne. As his grandmother, who else but I should guide him?”

The Empress calmly refused, “The new Emperor has his tutors and court officials to guide him. There’s no need for Mother to trouble herself. Besides, as the new Emperor hasn’t yet ascended the throne, and Mother is destined to follow the late Emperor in death, it’s inappropriate for you to meet.”

The Empress Dowager had truly angered the Empress these past days, otherwise, someone of the Empress’s temperament would never speak such words.

The Empress Dowager’s face alternated between green and white with rage, her finger trembling as she pointed at the Empress for a long moment before speaking, “How dare you! Hua family woman, though you’re the Empress, you couldn’t give the Emperor even half a prince. I think you’re the one who should follow him in death!”

The Empress Dowager deeply resented the elegant and composed Empress before her. Though the Empress was childless, and even her only daughter’s whereabouts were unknown, no one could openly move against her. Not only because she was a daughter of the Hua family, but because she was the Emperor’s original proper wife, the legitimate Empress of Da Chu, and the legitimate mother of all princes and princesses. Whichever prince ascended the throne would have to respect her as Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager had to admit that despite how much she looked down on and despised Noble Consort Liu, she and Noble Consort Liu were the same. No matter how favored they were, no matter how many children they had, without the status of proper wife, they didn’t even have the right to refuse following the Emperor’s death.

The Empress lowered her gaze and spoke indifferently, “Unfortunately, His Majesty had no intention of having me accompany him in his final moments. Mother, I suggest you return to your palace to rest. There are many matters that not only I cannot decide, but even the new Emperor likely cannot decide for now. If Mother has something to say, it would be better to speak with Prince Li.”

The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth. Of course, she wanted to find Mo Jingli, but since the Emperor’s death, Mo Jingli hadn’t come to pay his respects to her. Even on the rare occasions he entered the palace, it was to meet with the Empress to discuss the new Emperor’s ascension. By the time she received the news and rushed over, Mo Jingli had already left the palace. Now the Empress Dowager’s power had been completely stripped away, making it very inconvenient to do anything. The Empress Dowager knew that Mo Jingli was determined to abandon her.

“Empress, what are you saying? I merely came to see the Tenth Prince,” the Empress Dowager forced down her anger and said through gritted teeth.

As a grandmother wanting to see her grandson, naturally, she couldn’t be refused. Fortunately, the Tenth Prince had just awakened, so the Empress could only send someone to invite him out.

Having gained the Empress’s concession, the Empress Dowager sat down satisfied, drinking the tea brought by palace maids. Only then did she notice Ye Li sitting to the side. The Empress Dowager had never had a good impression of Ye Li, though not because she had any particular grievance against Ye Li herself, but because they had been on opposite sides from the beginning. Now that her own life hung by a thread while Ye Li had become Prince Ding’s only wife, with the title of Princess Consort Ding as renowned as Prince Ding himself, how could the Empress Dowager, who had once considered herself a great woman of her generation, look upon this comfortably?

“Princess Consort Ding?” the Empress Dowager frowned.

“Indeed. Greetings, Empress Dowager.” Ye Li set down her teacup with a faint smile. Dressed in cyan robes, she reclined leisurely in the chair to the Empress’s left, looking less like the renowned heroine she was and more like a figure from an elegant and tranquil painting of a noble lady.

The Empress Dowager knew she had nothing to say to Ye Li, so she merely snorted lightly and said no more.

Shortly after, the Tenth Prince emerged from within, properly dressed. Following behind him was naturally his birth mother. The Tenth Prince’s birth mother’s surname was Li, and after giving birth to the Tenth Prince she was granted the title Noble Lady Li. Now the palace people all addressed her as Consort Li. Perhaps because she had been lowly from childhood but suddenly found herself among the branches of the moon, becoming the most noble woman in the world, Li’s unease and trepidation were no less than the Tenth Prince’s. Thus she often behaved inappropriately, trembling like a frightened bird. Such common behavior naturally didn’t meet the Empress Dowager’s approval. Seeing the trembling mother and son before her, the Empress Dowager snorted in displeasure.

Li was startled, her legs giving way as she fell to her knees, “This slave… this slave greets the Empress Dowager.” Li had only seen the Empress Dowager a few times before, and only from afar to kowtow once before withdrawing. The Empress Dowager’s noble status naturally meant she wasn’t someone a low-ranking consort like herself could interact with. Now, suddenly hearing the Empress Dowager’s cold snort, her legs instinctively weakened and she fell to her knees.

The Empress frowned slightly in displeasure but was quite helpless. Li’s timidity couldn’t be blamed on her, but having the new Emperor’s birth mother be so lacking in dignity was truly troublesome. Beside them, seeing his mother suddenly kneel, the Tenth Prince was also greatly frightened and moved to kneel as well.

A jade-like hand gently caught his arm, and though it was a woman’s hand, its strength was not something a small seven-year-old child could resist. The Tenth Prince naturally couldn’t complete his kneel and looked fearfully toward the person holding him. Ye Li sat in her chair, smiling as she looked at the wide-eyed, terrified child before her, and said with a slight smile, “A man’s knees are worth their weight in gold – as a man, you mustn’t kneel so easily.”

The child who had tears gathered in his eyes ready to cry stared blankly at the gentle-smiling woman before him, momentarily forgetting his tears. He felt the cyan-robed woman was extremely gentle and kind, making him feel even more comfortable and at ease than being beside his mother. It seemed his previously fearful heart gradually calmed, and he unconsciously moved a little closer to Ye Li.

Only then did the Empress breathe a sigh of relief. Looking toward Li, she said, “Sister, what are you doing? Please rise. Quickly, help Consort Li up.”

The attending palace maids hurriedly helped Li to her feet and a chair at the side. Li looked anxiously between the Empress and Empress Dowager, then at Ye Li who was smiling at her son opposite her, fidgeting nervously with the gold-embroidered hem of her magnificent robes.

By now the Empress Dowager’s face had darkened, and she slapped the table, saying sharply, “Princess Consort Ding, what do you mean by this? Am I, as the Tenth Prince’s grandmother, not worthy of receiving his bow?”

Ye Li smiled silently, lowering her head to comfort the anxious Tenth Prince. The Empress calmly said, “Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, Teacher – Mother, are you certain you wish to receive this bow?” Though the Tenth Prince hadn’t formally ascended the throne, from the moment the imperial edict was issued, he was already the Emperor of Da Chu. As Emperor, he didn’t need to bow even to his mother. Moreover, was that just now even a proper greeting? The Tenth Prince and Li had been frightened to their knees by the Empress Dowager. If that bow had truly been completed, it would have been an even greater embarrassment.

The Empress Dowager suppressed her rage and forced a smile at the Tenth Prince, saying, “Xuyu, come let grandmother have a look at you.”

The Tenth Prince had never seen his grandmother before and only felt that the fierce-faced old woman before him was terrifying. He quickly hid behind Ye Li. The Empress Dowager’s eyes darkened slightly, but she didn’t show anger. Taking out a jade pendant, she waved it, saying, “Come, let grandmother have a look at you. This is grandmother’s meeting gift for you.”

The Tenth Prince looked hesitantly at the jade pendant, then turned to look at the Empress, but she was lowering her head drinking tea. He looked to his mother, but Li was still anxiously fidgeting with her robes, in no state to mind him. Finally, he could only look to Ye Li. Ye Li smiled gently and said, “Do you like it? If you like it, accept it. Remember to thank your grandmother.”

“Grandson thanks… grandmother.” The Tenth Prince accepted the jade pendant, dropped a quick thanks to his grandmother, and immediately hid behind Ye Li again. This left the Empress Dowager, who had just put on a kindly expression hoping to talk with him, grasping at empty air, her face twisting once more. The Empress saw this and, taking advantage of the moment before the Empress Dowager could rage, said calmly, “The Tenth Prince was somewhat frightened yesterday. If Mother is concerned for him, perhaps it would be better to visit another day.” The Empress Dowager had no choice but to leave in hatred, her sleeves swishing.

Watching the Empress Dowager depart, Ye Li raised her eyebrows and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong with the Empress Dowager? Was she so frightened by the death decree that she forgot to bring her brain when she left her chambers?” Ye Li found this version of the Empress Dowager quite unfamiliar. In her eyes, while the Empress Dowager might not have been unfathomably deep, she at least had some skill. But today’s actions – forcefully entering the Empress’s palace, frightening the yet-to-be-crowned new Emperor – were truly the lowest of tactics.

The Empress smiled and said, “The Empress Dowager was forced to lose her composure. After all, who wouldn’t be panicked when facing matters of life and death?”

Ye Li frowned and asked, “What about Prince Li? Is he truly going to abandon the Empress Dowager?”

The Empress shook her head and said, “I cannot understand the relationship between mother and son.” For instance, she had never understood whether the Empress Dowager truly loved her two sons, or rather, which son she loved more. And the brothers, Prince Li and Mo Jingqi seemed to hate their birth mother with an almost inhuman intensity.

“This child is called Mo Xuyu?” Ye Li looked down at the timid Tenth Prince hiding beside her and asked, “It’s a good name.” The names of Mo Jingqi’s sons’ generation were all somewhat inappropriate. The first Prince Ding of the founding dynasty was called Mo Lanyun. Though there was no rule that the royal family needed to avoid using princes’ names, such names always made people somewhat uncomfortable.

The Empress looked at the Tenth Prince, a trace of pity flashing through her eyes, and said, “The Imperial Astronomers chose it.” Mo Jingqi had never cared about this mother and son, so naturally one couldn’t expect him to personally choose a name.

Ye Li looked somewhat amusedly at the pitiful child before her. This child’s courage was far too small, though it could also be because he had been frightened these past days. Though Mo Xiaobao bullied Cold Jun Han daily, calling him ‘Cold Little Fool’, Cold Jun Han was still ten times more clever and brave than the child before her. No wonder the Empress was so worried.

As an emperor, while being as bold and spoiled as Mo Ruiyun wouldn’t do, being like the Tenth Prince, who might cry from fright just sitting on the throne, was even worse. The former could at least barely maintain appearances, while the latter couldn’t even manage that.

Looking at the Tenth Prince, the Empress sighed and said wearily, “The Princess Imperial and court officials entrusted him to me, but how can I have the patience to change a child’s nature? This child has truly been taught to be too weak and timid.”

Ye Li smiled and said, “Princess Changle was taught to be wise and graceful by Your Majesty. Given time, the Tenth Prince will surely improve somewhat.”

The Empress smiled bitterly, “Where is there time now when we can barely handle what’s right in front of us? If the Tenth Prince truly cannot even endure the coronation ceremony, it wouldn’t be unreasonable if Prince Li and the Liu family proposed installing a new emperor. At that time…” What the Empress didn’t say was that at that time, this child and Li would likely not survive. Whichever side ultimately prevailed would not allow the most legitimate heir to the throne to remain alive.

“Then, what are Your Majesty’s thoughts?” Ye Li looked at the Empress and asked softly. She didn’t believe the Empress didn’t know this was her best chance to escape. The current chaos in the Chu Palace and the future turmoil that could almost be foreseen couldn’t be completely resolved just by supporting a new emperor.

The Empress sighed and said, “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

Ye Li shook her head and sighed, “Why does Your Majesty trouble yourself so? Does Your Majesty truly not wish to have a chance to see Wuyu again someday?”

The Empress’s expression darkened, and she became lost in thought at Ye Li’s words.

As the Empress lowered her head in contemplation, Ye Li didn’t disturb her. She smiled at the Tenth Prince before her and asked, “Your Highness, how old are you?” The Tenth Prince blinked, looking at the gentle and kind sister before him, and timidly said, “Seven years old.” The soft childish voice made Ye Li reflect that her own Xiaobao had spoken clearly from the start, enunciating cleanly and crisply – she seemed to have never heard such a soft, tender voice. Such an adorable child, yet placed in such a position in the imperial palace – it was truly a pity.

“Have you been afraid these past days, Your Highness?”

The Tenth Prince’s small body trembled, his face showing terror. Clearly remembering his experiences these past days, his eyes immediately welled with tears. Looking at Ye Li, he nodded, and Ye Li sighed, hugging his small body and saying, “Don’t be afraid, many people will protect Your Highness, do you know? In the future, Your Highness will become the Emperor of Da Chu. Do you know what an emperor is?”

The Tenth Prince raised his head to look at Ye Li and said, “I know, like Father Emperor.”

“Mm… your father isn’t worth emulating. However… you saw how imposing your father was, right? Everyone feared him.”

The Tenth Prince nodded, and Ye Li continued smiling, “So, Your Highness will become Da Chu’s new emperor. In the future, everyone will fear you, so you don’t need to fear them. They won’t dare harm you.” The Tenth Prince’s voice carried traces of crying, “But… but wuu wuu… yesterday wuu wuu, Xuyu was scared…”

Ye Li hurriedly patted the Tenth Prince, softly comforting him. She wasn’t skilled at comforting children. Mo Xiaobao didn’t need comforting, and Cold Jun Han, temporarily staying at Prince Ding’s residence, was also a good child. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid… Your Highness must be brave. Brave children don’t need to fear anything, others won’t dare bully you, do you understand?”

Perhaps Ye Li’s comfort was effective, or perhaps it was simply that Ye Li’s voice made the child feel settled. The Tenth Prince gradually stopped crying and looked eagerly at Ye Li, saying, “Sister… will sister stay with Xuyu?” Ye Li smiled helplessly – she couldn’t stay with him. On the contrary, if this child truly became an independent and excellent emperor in the future, they might even become enemies. But looking at such a soft, pitiful seven-year-old child before her, who could truly harden their heart and ignore him?

“I didn’t expect you’d be so good at comforting children.” The Empress had long since recovered her composure, but finding Ye Li’s interaction with the Tenth Prince quite interesting, she had been watching from the side. Looking at Ye Li, the Empress smiled and said, “Speaking of which, though this child is timid, this is the first time he’s trusted someone he just met. Even with me, after so many meetings, he usually just performs a proper greeting and nothing more.”

Ye Li smiled and said, “Perhaps it’s because I’ve been taking care of children lately, so I have a way with them.”

The Empress assumed she meant Mo Xiaobao and smiled, “If this child had the young heir’s courage and wisdom, I wouldn’t need to worry.”

Ye Li lowered her head and stroked the somewhat dejected child’s head. At seven years old, he wasn’t truly unable to understand anything – he could comprehend the disappointment and worry in adults’ tones regarding him. Ye Li said softly, “This child isn’t stupid. With some effort, he might improve. However…”

Ye Li frowned as she looked at Li, who sat in a daze to the side. It wasn’t that she was heartless regarding mother-child bonds, but Li truly wasn’t suitable for educating children. Because she had much she didn’t understand and was powerless about, naturally she couldn’t teach the child anything. All she could give the child was pure indulgence. If born in an ordinary family, this might not be so bad – at worst he would become a mediocre wastrel, or be supported by the family. But the Tenth Prince was born into the royal family and was at such a crucial juncture – Li as a mother truly couldn’t provide the child with suitable education.

The Empress understood her meaning and nodded, saying, “I understand. I will discuss it with the Princess Imperial. Perhaps having the Princess Imperial enter the palace to personally teach the Tenth Prince would be a good idea. After all, the Princess Imperial assisted two previous emperors and was known as the Iron-Handed Princess.”

If it were another woman, she would naturally take this opportunity to raise the Tenth Prince by her side. After all, though she was the Empress, she wasn’t the new Emperor’s birth mother – the future Emperor’s depth of feeling toward his legal mother versus his birth mother would determine his future life and honor. But the Empress didn’t want to deprive Li and the Tenth Prince of their mother-son bond. She had no son – so what? That didn’t mean she had to steal someone else’s son. Just as her daughter, her Changle, would forever be her precious daughter.

“Your Majesty speaks wisely,” Ye Li smiled. Ye Li was also relieved that the Empress wouldn’t raise the Tenth Prince. Though the Empress now refused to leave with Feng Zhiyao, who could guarantee she wouldn’t change her mind in the future? If by then she had developed maternal feelings for the Tenth Prince, it would be troublesome. At that time, Ye Li would also have difficulty explaining to Feng Zhiyao.

“Your Majesty…” Li said anxiously. Though she was slow-witted, she still understood that the Empress was dissatisfied with her. In this palace, her only support was her son. No matter what, she didn’t want to be separated from her son.

The Empress said calmly, “Don’t worry, I’m only inviting the Princess Imperial to enter the palace to teach the Tenth Prince. I won’t separate mother and son.”

“Thank you… thank you, Your Majesty.” Hearing this, Li finally relaxed and said joyfully.